The Haven appoints new board and advisory board members
BOCA RATON, FL (July 15, 2010)—The Board of Directors of The Haven, a group home for adolescent boys who are placed in protective care by the State of Florida, has appointed James R. Davis, Jr., managing director of Brockway Moran & Partners, Inc., as a new board member, and Bobra Bush, president and owner of Telcom Corporation and Telcare Corporation; David C. Burns, investment banker and co-founder of Cross Keys Capital, and Shana Peterson-Sheptak, market manager of RBC Bank in Boca Raton, as new advisory board members.
According to Don Stewart, executive director of The Haven, the new appointees join a diverse cross-section of South Florida business, educational, and community leaders currently serving on The Haven’s board of directors and advisory board who assist leadership and management in fulfilling The Haven’s mission and vision. The Haven Board members serve to provide leadership, governance and ensure The
Shana Petersen-Sheptak
Haven has the resources needed to care for the young men that call The Haven home. The Advisory Board members serve as ambassadors of The Haven in business, government, nonprofit, and community sectors, as well as, support the Board, staff and development leadership in broadening community awareness and outreach, and exploring and maximizing funding opportunities.
“We are pleased to have J.R., Bobra, David and Shana join The Haven’s leadership as we move forward with exciting, ambitious new initiatives to support the growth of our campus, programs, and services to the community,” said Board Chairperson Thomas Smith. “Individually and collectively, this group’s commitment, skills, experience, and established business, community and government agency relationships will greatly assist us in enhancing the services, programs and facilities at The Haven.”
New board member James R. (J.R.) Davis, Jr. is the Managing Director of Brockway Moran & Partners, Inc. in Boca Raton where he contributes to the evaluation, negotiation and financing of investments in growth-oriented companies for the $1.3 billion private equity firm and executes and manages new platform and add-on acquisition opportunities across a wide range of sectors. He conducts negotiations of purchase and credit agreements, business due diligence, industry research, financial modeling and valuation analyses, assessment of corporate strategies, evaluation of management teams and analysis of competitive positioning and growth prospects. Davis has a Master’s degree in business from Harvard, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Princeton, where he was also a member of the football team.
New advisory board members:
Bobra Bush is a businesswoman, legislative advocate and community volunteer, and recognized as a successful and active business owner who generously and continuously shares her passion, expertise and keen knowledge of public policy with her constituents. She is the president and owner of two local businesses in Boca Raton: Telcom Corporation, founded in 1989, that audits local and long distance telephone service, cellular and internet telecommunications bills for public and large private organizations including Broward County and the State of Louisiana and Telcare Corporation, founded in 1993, that provides customer retention services specializing in new and existing customer satisfaction surveys designed to produce higher profit margins. An active member of NAWBO and NFIB, Bush has provided legislative/lobbying and advocacy education for small business issues, holds monthly briefings on the latest small business state and federal legislative news, conducts a bi-annual in-depth review of upcoming ballot issues and significant elections, and throughout the year assists in lobbying action for pro-small business legislation, among other legislative and educational activities in which she is involved. She has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Small Business Leader of the Year, NFIB/Solveras Small Business Champion of the Year for Public Policy Advocacy, NAWBO National Public Policy Advocate of the Year, South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40,” and the Price Waterhouse/South Florida Business Journal Entrepreneur of the Year , among others. She is currently Chair of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Subcommittee, Public Policy Director of the Fort Lauderdale Chapter of NAWBO, and a member of NFIB’s Florida State Leadership Council and PAC. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Bush holds a B.S. degree in computer systems programming and a Master’s degree in business administration.
David C. Burns is a CPA, investment banker, and the co-founder of Cross Keys Capital where his focus is on middle market transactions in technology, communications and construction services among other industries. He began his career as a Certified Public Accountant with Ernst & Young & Company auditing both public and private companies in the cable television, publishing, banking and auto parts manufacturing industries, and then founded Rapid Systems, Inc., a chain of quick lube oil change centers that he later sold to Jiffy Lube, Inc. After the sale of Rapid Systems, he earned his MBA and joined the investment bank Goldman Sachs & Company working in both private equity as well as sales and trading. Upon leaving Goldman Sachs, he became a private investor in small, growing private companies that included a telecommunications company, Communication Site Services, Inc. that was sold to SBA Communications where he became head of Mergers & Acquisitions at the close of the sale. Following his tenure at SBA Communications, he raised $15 million in private equity to form qServe Communications, a wireless network and maintenance company and a sister company, Tego Communications that was sold to Concourse Communications. Upon the sale of Tego, he returned to investment banking and co-founded Cross Keys Capital. Burns received his Bachelor of Science (Accounting) degree from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and his MBA (Finance) from Vanderbilt University’s Graduate School of Business. He served on The Haven’s Board of Directors from 2004-2010.
Shana Peterson-Steptak is an accomplished and resourceful sales and business development manager, who has been instrumental in establishing and growing financial and market share initiatives for several of the community’s leading banking and educational institutions. As Market Manager of RBC Bank she is responsible for the management of One Boca Place and local Boca Federal branches, as well as the development of branch sales teams. Prior to joining RBC Bank, served as Director of Admissions/Business Development/Project Management for American Learning Systems in Plantation where she was responsible for managing admissions programs for the largest private school in Florida. Earlier she served as Professional Executive Banking Manager with RBC Centura Bank in Ft. Lauderdale, Vice President and Private Banking Branch Manager for Colonial Bank in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and as Branch Manager with Barnett/NationsBank. A graduate of the University of Florida in Gainesville, she has served as a Board Member, Executive Board Member and Chairperson of the Board of the Plantation Chamber of Commerce and as a Board Member, Executive Board Member and member of the State Committee Development team for Children’s Home Society. She is also a Board Member of Junior Achievement and was Co-Chairperson of the organization’s Hall of Fame Dinner in 2007 and 2008.
About The Haven
The Haven, founded in 1976, is a group home for adolescent boys, ages 9-17, who have been removed from abusive and neglectful homes and placed in protective care by the state of Florida. From its 14-acre campus in Boca Raton, The Haven provides programs designed to foster the development of each young man’s self-esteem and independence. In a safe, loving and stable environment, the young men are taught the skills necessary for them to become self-sufficient and proud adults. The Haven, a 501(c)(3), is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and has received five consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator*, a national charity watchdog group. For more information on helping the boys at The Haven please call (561) 483-0962 or visit www.haven4kids.org.
